What colleges can I get into?

Hi all,
I’m looking for help determining which colleges I should look into. I have a uw gpa of 3.64 and a weighted gpa of 3.93. I also have a ACT score of 31, however I’m looking to get that higher. I also am involved with several clubs, the leader of some, and on the dance team. I also have a part time job. What are some schools I should look into in the safety, target, and reach area. I have no preferred region nor preferred campus size.

I should also mention that I have take AP and college classes.

Please offer suggestions, I really am struggling in this process

@dumbbutsmart hey there!

Tell us what you want study. Are you a math wiz? Love history? Like to write? Love biology?
What APs did you take?
What classes did you like the best / do well in?
Is money an issue?

Good news - A 3.64 UW and 31 ACT with APs will get you into many schools, but you have to help us narrow it down a little more.

I’m mostly interested in business/marketing as well as writing/journalism

Most of my ECs are related to that.
I have taken APUSH, AP World, AP Lang, AP Human Geo and some college math classes. I am taking AP lit, AP Econ, Ap statistics, and AP govt. next year. I like history, but don’t necessarily see it as a major. Maybe more of a side study? Money isn’t a huge object, but schools that would possibly offer scholarships would be preferred. Thank you for your response!

@psywar

Hi @dumbbutsmart…there’s a thread here called “Parents of the HS class of 2017 : 3.0-3.4 GPA” that would probably be helpful to you (but it’s loooong if you read all of it…but would give you ideas about possible options.) Many of the students represented on the thread had higher stats than 3.4 (similar to yours) but weren’t on a driven quest for Ivies and other super-elite schools, just good personal fits. Somewhere on the thread is a list of schools students applied to, including student stats and ECs, where admitted and rejected and where they chose to attend. It may give you somewhere to start.

There are thousands of good schools, so I still think you should narrow down further what you (think you) are looking for so that people here have SOME idea how to start suggesting ideas.: some regional preferences, larger, smaller, urban, suburban. rural, sporty, artsy, more conservative, more liberal vibe, etc. More important posters would need to know more on your financial situation. Many students (and their parents) assume they can pay, without realizing how expensive college has become…in many cases more than $65,000 per YEAR for all costs. Yikes! No sense in falling in love with something that is unaffordable.

Also…have you been able to visit any campuses? Sometimes students who think they have no preferences as to size, or location find that they, in fact DO have preferences once they make some visits. Even visits to nearby colleges and universities that you have no plans to apply to can help you begin to figure out what kind of school atmosphere you might thrive best in. Or maybe such visits will confirm to you that you will do well anywhere (and in that case, you might go for the most practical or economical choice.)

@inthegarden gives great advice on the school visits. Try to visit a large city university and a small LAC to begin to define a spectrum of your choices.

Think on the weather? Something simple like would you rather be a touch too hot or too cold?

Do you want to go far away (no safety net) or stay closer to home (parents might see you more)?

@inthegarden I’m from Minnesota and have toured both UMN Twin Cities and Gustavus. Both had completely different feels (large/small private/public religious/nonreligious) and I could potentially see myself at both. I don’t nessasarily see myself in a place as cold as Minnesota during the school year. So I though I could be pointed in the direction of a school where I could follow my interests as well as recieve some merit aid, as need-based won’t come through for me.

@dumbbutsmart, the thread I mentioned also details what amounts of merit aid were offered to students along with their stats…of course, this is no guarantee, but is helpful in giving you ideas of ball-park figures of what is possible at various school (for students of various descriptions.)

I’m sure you’re aware that to increase your chances of receiving merit aid you should apply to schools where you would fall in the top 25 percent of students (stats-wise.) I can’t give you any lists…(but they do exist here on CC) of the general range of GPAs and test scores of various schools. I’m sure someone here has the link at their fingertips.

Generally, business programs tend to be found at medium-to-large universities more often than LACs but (in case you want to explore the idea of a smaller school) I know that Knox college in Illinois and Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania are two small schools with business and journalism degrees that I’ve heard positive things about here on CC. They are well-regarded schools where you might be in that upper range of stats for consideration for merit aid…again…I don’t know for sure…but might be a place to start looking and thinking. Buying a Fiske guide to colleges could be another way to start your search! Anyone else have ideas?

Also, maybe check out Kalamazoo College and Valparaiso for schools not terribly far from you (but not much warmer!) Denison University in Ohio is a nice school, but likely more difficult to get merit aid at. Maybe Ohio University? Can your parents take you on a college tour?

The Newhouse school at Syracuse is a great option for journalism but is becoming very competitive for admission, however their business school would be a good match school for you. The business schools at NYU and USC would be good reaches.

I’d look through the business and journalism major threads for programs with good reps.

Isn’t NYU known for being expensive with little merit aid offered? Ditto for UCs if you’re OOS (which OP is…)

USC is not a UC: it’s private. It has good merit money for NMFs, if the OP qualifies. But you are correct regarding NYU and the CUs.

OP, have you taken the AP exams for your courses, and if so, how did you do?

Generally, OOS public universities are not likely to give significant FA. The SUNY schools are known to be comparatively inexpensive for OOS students, though, so you might want to take a look at them. Also, isn’t your state in a regional consortium that offers in-state pricing? If so, you should take a look at U Wisc Madison.

This seems like a pretty good list, but unfortunately none of them, except maybe Mizzou, is likely to be a bargain. Some are also reachy for you:

http://college.usatoday.com/2016/09/30/best-journalism-schools/

BTW, rather than making assumptions about FA that may turn out to be wrong, run the Net Price Calculator on every school using real figures. You may want to do it with your parents.

This is the template I usually give out to chance threads as a way to organize information in a useful way. I would recommend you fill out as much as you can. It would give us a better judge of what we should recommend depending on what you have accomplished.

Bio:
-Citizenship:
-State of residence
-Class:
-Race:
-Gender:

School:
-Type (Public/private & size):
-Graduates (How many go to Ivy’s/top 20):
-AP’s Offered:

Academic Profile:
-Unweighted GPA:
-Weighted GPA:
-AP’s:
-ACT:
-SAT:
-SAT II:
-Rank:
-Course Rigor:

EC (In order of importance/commitment):

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Other Notables (College courses you've taken, papers published, created own website, TAing a class, ect):

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Honors:

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Work:

Intended Major:
Intended Minor: